>> March / 30 / 2007
Aether! — New Concepts! Call for Copy!

TAs Aether is now being artworked into the final book, my mate gave me a great idea that I would like to try hard to incorporate into the design and function.

For all nominees so-interested, I invite you to share a brief commentary about your work; what you were thinking when you created the artwork, any emotions, joys or hardships that inspired you, or perhaps a little bit about your creative process; what motivates you, what you hope to acheive with your art or in your career.

Other topics to consider when writing might include any symbolism you may have included into your work, new tricks you learned or employed when creating this piece, or what may have frustrated you in its creation.

I also invite any nominee so-interested to send any preliminaries, thumbs or color studies you would like to share that you may have used in developing the submitted works. Please do not send materials for works not entered, as they will have no context. If you would like advice on which images to submit for, simply ask!

The goal with this idea is to help share information on how you work, and why you do what you do. Let's teach each other something! Share the wealth!

No obligations whatseover.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED in this idea, simply contact me to inquire about which pieces were selected. I am not keeping this information private, I simply do not have the time to create a master list of all works. It's been easier answering questions as they come. Thanks again!

LASTLY, please note that this is all BONUS MATERIAL ONLY and will be used as they layout allows. This bonus material will likely be cropped, truncated or edited as necessary to make room for the primary artwork.

Please try to keep your text to approximately 1 short paragraph, or 50 words.

Please Edit, Proofread and check everything you intend to enter!!!

Thanks so kindly!

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>> March / 16 / 2007
Aether Nominations and Information

The Aether 2007 Jury and I would like to extend our sincerest congratulations and heartfelt thank-yous to ALL of the artisans who participated in this debut edition of Aether d'Animaux! The level of skill, creativity and dedication put forth was simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring. At the risk of sounding cliché, I have been humbled by the level of interest in this project and the momentum generated thus far has been electrifying to say the least.

The Jury had a very difficult time making their selections, and I believe it is fair to say that every piece submitted to this project was interesting and enjoyable. Thank you all with the greatest appreciation for your time, talent, respect and faith. Like me, you share a view of the bigger picture and I cannot thank you enough for your support.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the Jury members who sacrificed time from their busy lives and schedules to aid me in seeking the clearest path for Aether, and for spending dozens of hours painstakingly reviewing works.

Thank you to the critics and reviewers who have voiced their opinions and offered wisdom and warnings on pitfalls and obstructions, and for making clear the aspects Aether must strive to avoid.

Finally, thank you to all the eager fans and watchers who have blogged on Aether’s behalf. This form of interest and respectability cannot by bought, and I thank you all.

And now I present the link to the final nominations, hosted on Aether’s web site:

LINK TO THE FINAL NOMINATIONS:
http://www.intrinsikdesign.com/clients/aether/selections.html

I ENCOURAGE ALL TO PLEASE CONTINUE READING.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOLLOWS:

What follows is a brief breakdown of what has transpired and how it happened.

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HOW THE JURY PROCESS WAS PERFORMED:
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I alone collected every submission sent to Aether by mail, eMail, and FTP and scanned them and/or prepared them for the Jury. Absolutely no works were prescreened or omitted. If you sent it, the Jury saw it.

All works were assembled digitally and converted to 72dpi images of approximately no bigger than 6x6 inches and laid-out in a web-based polling site.

Private and password protected links were sent to Jurors who logged in with their names and email addresses.

Works were collected on pages of 30 at a time. Jurors were encouraged to take as much time as necessary. Most took several days.

Jurors were asked if the work satisfied the PG-13 and Anthropomorphic criterion. Most passed-over works resulted here.

Primary judging criterion asked Jurors to select work that they felt best represented what Aether should be trying to say about the Furry Fandom, both to fans and to outsider interests.

Jurors were also asked if the work should be nominated for special recognition and/or candidacy for the cover.

As Aether did not secure 13 Jurors prior to judging, it was decided that for inclusion into the book, a piece needed only a multiplicity of votes. All works received at least 1 vote. Ironically, many works that only received one vote were a vote for special recognition. Overall, this process broadened participation.

I alone tallied the votes and assembled the following list based on that information. I do so with great earnest and respect.

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The Nominations
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The following assembly is a full list of all participants whose work(s) were nominated by the Jury for inclusion in Aether 2007.

Only artist names appear, not the works themselves. I simply do not have the time or capability to create a more comprehensive listing.

I would like to take this opportunity again to note that not a single artist received a unanimous vote for inclusion, and pleasantly enough not a single artist received zero votes for inclusion. Truly, the 2007 Jury performed a spectacular job in remaining open-minded all the while being professional and sincere.

With this in mind, I continue to realize the perceived hypocrisy in this project. While it is not a majority belief, there are those who see this project as one aiming to create ranks among artists or, worse yet, a way to support elitism. While I cannot force such a thought to disappear, I can only continue to speak about Aether's beliefs and intentions, which are nothing more than showcasing good, solid furry art. I do not want anyone to feel bad. I do not want anyone to feel omitted or persecuted. So then why even bother with a jury, or even creating this book, you ask? Two simple answers: The Jury is meant to help broaden the scope of interest. Aether is intended to be a book about the fandom for the fandom. Not a book by me for me. And Aether exists as a device to help promote good, solid, clean furry artwork. It aims to inspire, share and educate. Nothing more.

Does that mean that if your name does not appear in this year's list that your art is not "good"? Of course not. I will be the first to admit that Art in all its forms is incredibly subjective. Of the 13 illustrations that I put forth into Aether, the Jury eliminated most of them. No one was immune to the rules of this process. By far and away, the most common reason any work was passed-over was for fear that it went too far over the "PG-13" restriction. The second most common reason that a work was passed over was the feeling it was not Anthropomorphic enough. And lastly, the third most common reason a work was passed over was because something particular about the image was hard to understand.

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COMMON REASONS A WORK WAS NOT SELECTED*:
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• The Work in question was questionable in it’s PG-13 or less standing, and/or was more erotic than it was informative.
• The Work in question was not perceived as Anthropomorphic or Anthropomorphic enough.
• The Work contained illustrated elements that were not complete or felt rushed.

*Based on the voting strategies of the 2007 Jurors.

We are a dramatic genre with a penchant for seeing the bad side of things. I encourage those individuals whose works do not appear in the below link to remember that your chances improve for next year, and there is absolutely nothing personal about what pieces were selected and which pieces were not. Absolutely NO WORK OR ARTIST was cut on purpose. This has been a free project so far, and if this process continues to work well for this 2007 edition, it may continue to be that way.

LINK TO THE FINAL NOMINATIONS:
http://www.intrinsikdesign.com/clients/aether/selections.html

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Current Needs and Timeline:
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• Currently, all of the works selected by the jury are being collected and artworked into the layout of Aether d’Animaux, 2007.
• The book will be laid-out and ready for proof-reading in the coming weeks. We are behind schedule, but still very active.
• If your name appears on the Nominations List and you have not yet supplied high-res versions of your art, please do so As Soon As Possible!
• If your name appears in the Nominations List and you do not know how it got there, please read: Way back in July/August of 2006 I was campaigning for artists willing to volunteer artwork for the Mock-Up stage of Aether. As I promised at that time that you agreed to volunteer, all of those volunteered works were carried over into the final jurying process.

• If for any reason you would like to remove some or all of your artwork from this event, please do not hesitate to tell me! NO ONE is obligated to participate.

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Closing words.
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I have been blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with all of you. Irregardless as to the nominations, the level of skill and sincerity has been breathtaking. But Art is more than skill and technique. Art is about the hope for better times. Art is about the determination to make a point and speak up. Art is about expressing our beliefs and exposing our soul. There is no book or collection on the planet that could possibly capture that feeling. At best, Aether hopes to offer the barest of glimpses into that ideal, and that feeling exists whether your masterpiece is present or not. The energy you have expelled just to get here is humbling and magical, and I thank you all for putting your faith and hope into this endeavor. I could not have done this without you, and I would not have wanted to try. EVERY artist who participated, EVERY masterpiece that was put forth, EVERY iota of interest expressed, EVERY blog and journal authored on Aether’s behalf, has all culminated to become the foundation for the very thing Aether has hoped to be: a place to celebrate our crafts and showcase our differences in the spirit of growth and sharing.

I thank everyone for their support, participation and continued interest! As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or insights.

Thank you all!

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>> July / 30 / 2005
Back From The Dead

Well it seems that the time-off I was granted at the end of my last assignment was God's way of telling me to relax. My wife and daughter and I have been plagued with a constant cycle of illness for the past 5 weeks. What started out as a flu for the baby, turned into a near-miss case of Roseola (baby measels), pink-eye, dual ear infections, the flu again, bronchitus, and an un-identified virus that refused to heal. We've had several trips to the Emergency Room at 1:00 a.m. when my daughter's fever would linger at 104-degrees, and my wife and I at 103°. I have never been this sick in my life, nor this long.

A warning to new and would-be parents out there: When your child is sick, you are doomed. There is no escaping the gloom of that cloud. My wife and I equally care for Kyleigh, so whatever she catches, it hits us all fast. Be careful when the time comes!

So I took my last or three doses of Zithromax today, and I'm still squeezing-in the drops for the highly annoying pink-eye infection that feels as though someone jabbed my eyes full of splinters.

Now that all of the various virii seem to be departing our home, I've wasted all the free time I had shivering in my bed and now my contract-house has found a new assignment for me, which I start Monday, August 3rd. Yay. Well, this means good money, but no time again. I don't know if I'm winning or not...

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>> July / 15 / 2005
Assignment Ends

Well, the day-job assignment that I've held for the last 5-months will not be extended again (thankfully) and I will have more time to dedicate to all things both furry and freelance!

::the crowds go wild::

No kidding! I can't thank you all enough for your patience and understanding during these last few YEARS now as I've been constantly changing schedules and running behind. Your loyalties will not be forgotten.

Now that my assignment working with GM's advertising force has concluded (for now), I will be able to re-dedicate much needed time to regaining my health and happiness. Look forward to new things soon.

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>> February / 17 / 2005
Purchased Adobe's® Creative Suite 1.3 Premium / Quark Xpress 6.5

What kind of advertising agency would I be if I didn't have the right tools? Or, more realistically, the right, legal tools?

In one, expensive fell-swoop, I have purchased a great deal of hardware and software in the hopes of smoothing workflow, speeding-up processing time, and setting all of my tools to their proper, legal status. Legality is very important to me, despite the Age of Piracy, and despite my current artistic forum. Which is why I have "legitimized" my working world.

Current Studio Hardware:
• Macintosh Dual 2.0 Gigahertz Processor, G5 Tower w/ MacOSX v.3.9 Panther
• Custom-built IBM 2.5 Ghz Pentium 4 Tower w/ WIndows XP Professional
• 6 x 9" Wacom Tablet
• 4 CRT Monitors (2 per tower)
• Sony Vaio 2.5 Ghz laptop
• 40-Gig iPod
• 4-Gig iPod Pink Mini

Current Studio Software:
• Adobe Photoshop CS
• Adobe Illustrator CS
• Adobe ImageReady CS
• Adobe GoLive! CS
• Adobe InDesign CS
• Adobe Acrobat 7.0
• Macromedia Studio Flash MX
• Quark XPress 6.5
• Procreate Painter Classic
• Alias SketchBook Pro
• Alias Maya
• Bryce 3D
• Morph
• Poser

>> January / 27 / 2005
I've Started My Own Business!.

In lieu of being laid off, a great many options have become available to me. After a lot of research, meeting with lawyers and plotting courses, I have decided to officially kick-start my own agency into a full-time career. It has long been a dream of mine to be 100% freelance (or self-employed), and this recent lay-off has provided me with enough gumption and confidence to do just that. Officially, I have applied for and received my Limited Liability paperwork, forming my LLC.

As of January 27, 2005, I am an official small business specializing in graphic design, advertising, light marketing and illustration. We service all realms of advertising, including print, web, and video.

>> December / 23 / 2004
Laid Off....

I'm sure almost everyone here has experienced the wonderous joy of being laid off or fired at one point in their life, and perhaps even the greater joy of having to call MARVIN. Well for the first time in my 20+ years of professional experience, that fateful experience has finally caught up with me.

It's a long and twisted story, so I'll try to keep it short, but there's just no truncating chaos.

I have been working for a very small advertising agency that specialized in everything from traditional print and web advertising to custom vehicle wraps. Essentially, if it can be printed or programmed, we did it. Or more specificially, I did it. The other man in this two-man operation was the owner/operator and responsible for bringing in new work. I have been working with him for little more than three years.

Around August of 2004, I was getting a very suspicious feeling from my employer. Our office is very small, and he alone has French doors that seperate him from the rest of the office. In my tenure there, these doors are never shut. Around August, they were shut all the time. In fact, if the phone rang, he would put the caller on hold, get up, close the doors, then set back down and continue his conversation. As an employee, there are only so many things that will go through your head when this happens, and none of them good.

In the vein of protecting myself from the inevitable, I spent my evenings bulking up my professional, non-furry freelance. I aligned myself with a international creative contractor who would feed me work, AND I found another full-time employment opportunity with my previous employer. It was a modest improvement in salary, enough to make it a very serious offer, but the reason I left that employer in the first place was because they're 80 minutes away from home, and that's a hell of a daily drive.

I used these opportunities to go back to my employer and talk about what he was or was not up to. He said that he isn't up to anything. He even went so far as to say that "when the day comes" that he does sell the biz, he'll cover me.

I believed him, so I turned down the other job offer, which I was hoping to do anyway because I was really not looking forward to that drive again. I was still hesitant tho, so I kept pushing my freelance.

Two weeks later, he comes to me on my Birthday (December 5) and says, "I've decided to sell the business." Despite the great many angry thoughts in my head, I was most concerned with his general dishonesty and horrible handeling of the situation. He knows I just had a baby not more than three months prior, which he had refused to insure. He does not cover my wife's insurance, and just barely covers mine. (I have to pay for everything, and if the insurance company chooses to, they might re-imburse me.) My boss has paid me less half of what my peers get paid for doing 1/3 of the work. Then, when I'm struggling just to keep my family fed, he tells me on my birthday of all days, that he's laying me off in 2 weeks.

Angry and annoyed, I went home and made plans to buy the business from him.

The next day, he says he has a wonderful idea; he thinks I should buy the business from him.

Over the course of 3 weeks from my birthday through the Christmas holidays, I was struggling to find a new job, meet with the brokers and lawyers and accountants and try to figure out how I was gonna keep the bills paid.

I was trying to remain competitive with my offers, since he had claimed that there were "many interested buyers". Of course, I never believed that because no one cares about a place like this. In the end, he got greedy and wanted too much. I refused to pay more than what my accountants had said it was worth, plus— I was not going to pay for myself! With him leaving, I was literally the whole business! What was he going to sell without me? Old computers? A dwindeling clientele? Even his cashflow was wrong and grossly over-inflated.

My wife and I were getting really bad feelings about the whole thing, and were very skeptical of his selling points. I was there for too long and I knew all his secrets. Plus, this opportunity gave me the chance to legally look over all his books and paperwork where I discovered that he had been lying to me since the day I started. He was paying himself almost 160K a year and paying me 22K. My peers from college who do far less work than I did take home 50 to 60K per year. This was the last straw and it pissed me off royal.

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>> December / 5 / 2004
I'm Back! At Long Last!

Hello, hello, kind furs! It has been a long and tumultuous road with a great many obstacles, but I am back into the limelight and raring to go! It's been several months since anyone has heard from me, and while I greatly appreciate those of you who were concerned, I can only say it has been frustrating these last months. I'll add more to the story tonight....

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>> November / 4 / 2004
E-MAIL MALFUNCTIONS

Just a quick warning to anyone and everyone who has sent ANYTHING to me via my "KrossBreeder@hotmail.com" account — MSN/Hotmail has apparently beefed-up their SPAM/Monitoring tools, because I am receiving less and less of your email, regardless of who I clear as "safe".

As of this posting, please contact me via my secondary email address, at kb@futurender.com until I either fix this Hotmail problem, or officially switch everything over to the aforementioned address.

If you have sent me anything after March of 2004, it is very likely I have not received it. If I have not responded to you, then I have not received your email.

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>> November / 4 / 2004
Post Election-Day Gloom

Well another election day has come and gone here in the United States, and just like always, I leave the polls with the bitter taste of defeat in my mouth.

This page is not about politics,... yet,... but as I sit idly by and watch the world spin out of control around me, you can bet your tail that I'll be getting more political. I know that I will be offending some of you, and this is unavoidable, and I apologize ahead of time. It is not going to be my goal to upset you personally, but I feel it is my OBLIGATION to voice my concerns and make sure that the rest of you have at least some understanding of what's going on.

With that, I'll move on to the happier stuff; KAF! Studio has been busy as ever, creating more art than I know what to do with! As you readers of my Live Journal know, I have welcomed my first child into the world this last August 7. Kyleigh Elizabeth is a gorgeous little girl with huge blue eyes that were filled with intellect on the very day she was born. She has a full head of sandy-brown hair and is incredibly healthy. She was born at 6:01 p.m., at 8.11 pounds, and 21.5 inches long. Both she and mom are doing great!

It's been almost three months since she was born, and our lives are beginning to get back to a pattern again. She sleeps through the night and her moods are more predictable, so I'm finally able to get back to work on a regular basis.

There have been a lot of changes both to my web site, and the physical KAF! Studio... We've upgraded our furniture, upgraded computers and FINALYL ditched WIndows for a rock-solid Mac DUAL 2.8 G5, upgraded my system, and improved workflow so I should be pumping out owed work much faster now. As always, if you are a commissioner and you have a concern, please let me hear it! You will not offend me.

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>> July / 8 / 2004
Happy AnthroCon Day!

Well AnthroCon 2004 is finally here, and it looks like I will be there, afterall! I haven't posted any of the concerns potentially barring my journey because they've all occurred so recentyl; Our baby, the future Kyleigh, is just over 8 months along and my mate, Eli is already starting to dialate, which means Kyleigh could be arriving literally any day! Since this trip to Philly is the first time I've been away from Eli in 8 years, we were a little nervous about it, and admittedly still are.... But as everyone says, everything will be alright..... right?! I feel bad for anyone sitting next to me on the plane... You've seen what happens when you take a cat for a car ride,... have you ever tried to take one on a plane?! Anarchy!

But anyway! As of 9:41 a.m., all my bags are packed and I plan to be arriving in Philly around 10:30 p.m. where good-furiend, Kaelan will be picking me up! I hope! Lol... I came SOOO close, but unfortunately I've missed my deadline on completing everything before AC. Of the 11 paintings and projects I had due for AC, all but two are complete, and I've tried to contact you both concerning them. If you haven't already, please contact me ASAP and I may be able to squeeze the almost-complete piece into my luggage! Of those two incomplete pieces, they're both 90 to 95% done, they just need time to detail and dry (since they were painted with Oils). Please don't hate me! I've had family chaos (but happy chaos!) to attend to!!!

So this is my first Fur Con experience, and like you all know, I've lost the option of sharing a booth since Two Rodents Printing announced they'd be unable to attend. Since this means I cannot sell anything because of my lack of vendor status as per AC policy, I CAN STILL MAKE YOUR COMMISSION RESERVATION if you would like to commission me. Just talk to me and we'll plan something and I'll take your initial description. I am already filling up my post-AnthroCon schedule, so get to me quick! I was planning on printing some swag to pass out, but the Print House required more time than I had (sorry Rael , no soup ^__^ ).

So as this weekend commences, I wish you all well, whether I see you or not, and I wish you all a SAFE and happy time! And as they say on cheesy, 80's dating shows,... I'll see you in two and two ^__^.




>> June / 3 / 2004
9 Weeks To Go!!
She's almost here! She's almost here!!...

For those of you who don't know, my mate is 31 weeks pregnant with our first kitt! It's a little girl, and we've decided to name her Kyleigh Elizabeth. ... And yes, I will do my best to raise her according to the Furry Code of Life... hehehe.

However, for any of you who may have been raised on planet Earth, you know that raising a kitt is hard work. Over the past few months, my mate, Eli and I have been preparing Kyleigh's room and kitt-proofing the rest of our home (at least, finishing what was already rabbit-proofed against a certain, wire-munching, pet, dwarf rabbit of ours...^__^ ).

Although this has only been affecting my time here and there, I fully expect my schedule to become less predictable and filled with events. I'm spending every waking hour (when not at the office) working on commissions right now. I expect to have my current workload finished by Kyleigh's birth (August 5th-ish), and afterward I will be working purely tentatively.

If you are interested in a commission near or after August 5th 2004, please contact me as usual and I'll work a schedule with you.

AnthroCon, Hoooo!
Well, I have not solved the booth problem ever since Two Rodent's Printing announced they'd be unable to attend this year, so I will be without a booth for AnthroCon 2004. I apologize to anyone who was anticipating visiting with me in the Dealer's Den. Although I won't be *as* easy to find, I will still be at AnthroCon drawing in sketchbooks and taking orders for commissions! I plan to have my fursuit with me, so if you can't find the KB in the crowd, look for the badge. This will be my first AC, so don't be surprised if I'm bouncing off the walls! ... And no, my mate, Eli cannot attend for pregnancy reasons (doctor's orders) and I had already purchased my non-refundable airfare, so I'm being a bad mate and going alone :/ ... "What's this", you say? "KB's unleashed?" ^__^

No More Computer Woes!
A Special Thanks to all my friends who have emailed me trying to help me solve my various computer troubles. Although what solutions were offered only solved the problems breifly, I've decided that I've had enough of wasting time and money reparing a lemon. Thanks mostly to my mate's effective reasoning, I have gone out and purchased a new Dual G5, with a 2.0 Ghtz front-end bus and that BAD-ASS 64-bit processor.... 1 Gig of RAM, 160 Gig hard drive, NVidea 9800 professional Video Card chipset, 52x CD-Writer and 16X DVD Writer, and Mac OS X/Panther. ::drools:: I've been trying for years to get away from windows, and I've finally managed it. Windows is extremely poor compared to Mac OS when it comes to the graphics world, I don't care what kind of processor/video card combo you have. (A lesson that I had spent years trying to disprove.) So in short, all my hardware and software is working again! Let the good times roll! =^__^=

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>> May / 13 / 2004
No More Booth at AnthroCon 2004 / Commission Updates
Well, the bubble was bound to burst.

Unfortunately, due to unpredictable cirumstances well outside my control, my Sponsor, Two-Rodents Printing, has announced that they will be unable to attend AnthroCon 2004. As such, since I was sharing their booth and AC's policies forbid booth-transfering, I will be without a booth this year. I will still be attending AC, of course, and doing what I can to promote within the regulations of AC's guidelines, but essentially I will be unable to make any kind of sale. I WILL however be accepting orders for potential new commisisons, handing out KAF! Studio swag, and drawing in sketchbooks. This will also give me the opportunity to explore more of AC this year. No one is more dissapointed than I am, but fear not,... there's always next year!

Commission Status has been updated for the following clients:

NOVENTA
RAEL BUNNY
KHAOS
Dr. MERCURIOUS
CALORATH

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>> March / 4 / 2004
Gearing Up & Cleaning House
Busy! Always Busy!


>> February / 4 / 2004
USB Problems Again
Busy busy busy! Well you'll never believe it, but once again I'm having scanner-slash-USB problems. Before I go into another tirade, l'll just hang up my hat now and issue my apologizies to those of you who have been inquiring about updates to active commissions. You have my assurance that this problem is being rectified and I will have updates for you immediately thereafter.

However, I managed to get a new update for KHAOS posted, and I'll have TELDAN's Comic preview posted a.s.a.p.

Thanks, and Happy Upcoming Valentines Day!

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>> January / 7 / 2004
Commission Updates
Happy New Year!
Just a friendly reminder to those of you who have commissioned me to illustrate an image for you: Please check your name on my PAYING STATUS page as often as you can, seeing as I am posting all my progress there for you to see and critique. This section also proves to be a convenient visual step-by-step guide for other artists who are interested in watching an illustration from start to finish. As the commissioner, if you dislike the idea of your piece(es) being displayed in any stage, please let me know and I will deactivate the links and create a folder to which you alone can view.

For those of you who have been waiting oh-so patiently on my freebie, Kreate-A-Fur list, Fear not! I know that many of you have been waiting for a very long time, and I haven't forgotten about you. Just as I said might happen in the email I sent you immediately following your submission, Kreate-A-Fur has been very popular and there is a great deal of work to be done. I am moving through the stack of requests as quickly as I can. Please check the Waiting List to monitor your status in the line-up. Names with active links are requests that have been completed. I am working my way down that list, which represents oldest to newest requests. Some names may appear to have been skipped in that line-up, and this is not an act of favoritism; Requests that have been completed out of turn are requests that were bumped up to paying jobs, since paying jobs come first. Please contact me if you would like to discuss bumping your request to a paying job.

Sometime this month, I will be sending out a KAF! Studio newsletter to everyone who has ever contacted me in regards to artwork, etc. If you would rather not receive a newsletter, feel free to let me know now and I'll remove your address from my list. You can also do this anytime by emailing me.

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>> December / 8 / 2003
KB's Expecting A Cub! ... But What About AC2004?!
Yup! You guessed right! Sometime in August of 2004, my RL mate, Kindle and I will be expecting the arrival of their first cub! We've been trying for awhile now, and I am happy to announce that all is well! Everyone is really excited, and I couldn't be happier with all the praise and gifts I've been receiving! You're all very kind, and I thank you all from the core of my heart .

However, many times good news brings bad news. In this case, the bad news is that this will throw a monkey-wrench (yet again) into my plans to attend AnthroCon 2004 in June. That month will be too close for comfort to my child's delivery, and my mate's family has a history of early deliveries. We're only in the first month right now, though, so we still have planety of time to plan, and we're going to consult with the doctor as soon as we see him again. Provided we're given the all-clear, you can bet I'll be on the first running vehicle for Philly!

HOWEVER, as happy as I am about all of this, (albeit dissapointed about AC), I am still planning on finishing a lot of works thay will be made available exclusively through Two Rodents Printing! Also on this note, many past clients and peers have been worried that raising a kitt will mean I will be dissappearing from the fandom. Although I can in no way better predict what the future holds than you can, I will tell you this: I always finish what I start; I am very dedicated to this fandom, and I have been planning these events for a long time, so I am currently under no additional stress of surprise or mis-calculation. In other words, I plan on being here for a very long time. As far as running themes in my work goes, there may be some changes, lol,.... art mirrors life, afterall! =^_^=

Lastly, this news has prompted two very popular questions: First, who is Kindle? And second, can I draw the three of you?

Hehehe, well, Kindle is my mate obviously. We've known each other for over 8 years (met in High School) and have been married for 2 of those. If you'd like to see some drawings of her character, click here. As far as drawing or otherwise creating something in light of this news, feel totally free as always!

Okay then! Take care all!

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>> November / 18 / 2003
::Random Snugs!:: =^_^=
I am happy to report that I have very little to report! For the first time in a long time, I am can happily say that I have everything *mostly* under control! I've got the scanner issue solved (although it requires the use of a completely different machine...) and my graphics appilcations seem to bee blinking out, one by one, but aside from this, all is well! Lol,... I've given up trying to force the harmony between my digital and my traditional art... I'll let them fight it out on their own. ^_-

I've got quite a number of awesome commissions underway, and I really think ya'll really dig 'em once their finished. One of them is (surprise surprise) a yiffy, four-piece quadtych that I'm doing for Two-Rodents Printing's Egger! Plus a super cool traditional fantasy-styled piece for Khaos waaaay over in the U.K.! =^_^= (Cheers!)

And again, for alla you people sitting on the fence out there, "yes!" I am still very much taking commissions! Both paintings or drawings AND fursuits! Feel free to contact me about anything you may be thinking about, and we'll work something out together. Payments, themes, character-concept art, fursuit colors,.... we can talk about all that good stuff! I love helping people realize their ideas! Give me a chance! ^_^

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>> November / 2 / 2003
Halloween Party! Wolf Fursuit Debut
Well I had to work right up to the deadline, but in those last, critical hours, I was able to complete my first self-made fursuit, just in time for Halloween! It was a dual-purpose creation, so it's another hybrid suit, like KrossBreeder (the kittyfox!). It was created to fill the roles of both "Canine" and "Wolf" for two different parties, For those of you who have been tracking my progress, here's a link to the final product! It took just under a month, from 'suit to head!

Although I completed two sets of white paws for it, the airbrushing wasn't dry in time for our party, so I just used the black pairs from my KB 'suit.

This 'suit is now being offered for sale! You can either purchase the head or the suit separately, although I would recommend buying both together. Please feel free to make an offer, or contact me for size information. I will also be posting it to FurBid soon.

... Or if this suit gives you an idea, I am currently taking fursuit commissions; heads, suits, tails, paws, full 'suits.... all custom tailored! Contact me as soon as possible to get ahead of the waiting list!

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>> October/ 30 / 2003

LAST CHANCE TO BUY YOUR PICS!!
To ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE NOT YET CLAIMED YOUR REQUEST FROM ME:
Over the course of this year, I have made requests, announcements, and warnings to all of you who have requested a pic from me during one of my Free Fur Drawing Sprees. If I have completed your piece (see my Waiting List for complete roster) and you have not yet made arrangements to purchase the original art, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE to do so!
As per our agreement, all pieces not claimed after 90 days since completion wil be sold-off to any interested buyer. I will be selling all of my original artwork at AnthroCon 2004 in July, 2004. THIS INCLUDES UNCLAIMED PIECES. If you are a picture's original commissioner, you are urged to take this last opportunity to purchase your pic for basicly any price you want ($12 minimum; includes shipping). The deadline is June 30th, 2004. After this date, you can purchase your pic at AnthroCon for no less than $18. Any pictures not sold at AnthroCon will be collected and sold as portfolios on FurBid.

I STRONGLY urge you to take this opportunity.

If you would like to purchase your peice, please read this page for instructions.

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>> October/ 21 / 2003

AnthroCon 2004!
Well wouldn't you know it? After all these years of complaining about never having the chance to go to AC, I'm finally making it happen! The details have not been finalized yet, but as of this writing, my mate and I will be sitting in the Dealer's Area as a guest to the nice folks of Two Rodents Printing and the Admins of FurStreet! I'm also working on some great special illustrations that will be available as a sort-of "commemoration" of my first Con! Keep an eye on this section to see what I have planned, as well as a possible semi-listing of prints I'll be making available for sale.

• I plan to sell original works as well as prints and miscellaneous extras!

• At this time, I DO plan on drawing in sketchbooks, so feel free to bring it around! Prices will be quoted here in a later posting.

• AnthroCon 2004 is scheduled for the weekend of July 9th thru 11th

• Keep checking this Update Area for news!

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>> October/ 16 / 2003

Calling All Techies! PLEASE HELP!
Does ANYONE out there have any idea how to re-assign IRQ addresses to devices? I have Windows XP (which contrary to the rumor, apparently DOES use IRQs) and I have only 2 USB 1.0 ports. I just bought a new scanner, and it isn't working. It's a Hewlitt-Packard ScanJet 3970, Hi-Speed USB scanner. I have all the latest drivers and everything hs been installed correctly several times. Rebooting and re-installation does not help. The Techs at HP said that it's because I need to isolate the scanner to it's own IRQ. I currently have 6 devices assigned to IRQ 9, which controls both USB ports. Apparently, IRQ 9 controls ALL my ports and PCI slots. I have NO idea how to fix this, and surfing the web has not helped.

Strangely, the scanner's "copy" function works perfectly (scans the document then prints it), but the "scan" function does not. Every attempt results in a "Cannot Communicate with Device" error.

If you can help me fix this problem, I will happily offer my services as payment.

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>> October/ 15 / 2003

Now Accepting Fursuit Commissions!
I've decided that drawing and painting just aren't enough. Starting immediately, I am now accepting commissions to build fursuits too!
I've long been interested in bringing 2-dimensional characters into the physical realm, and I'd love to help you bring your character to life, too!

I am taking commissions for full suits, heads, paws, tails, etc, and all manner of custom creations. Prices will vary by job, fur type/color and complexity. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested! In the meantime, you can follow along on the progress for my current suit, which is based on my RL canine friend, Comet! =^_^= I gotta have this one done by this Halloween, so I'm workin' fast!

Always Accepting Commissions...
Also, I am always accepting commissions for paintings and drawings! Although I have closed the Free Fur Project for now, I am ALWAYS accepting new, paying commissions. Check this page out for price and medium info.

Fan and Gift Art!
I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who have dedicated their time and talent to create an illustration for me! I think that the greatest thing about this fandom is the giving attitude it portrays, and I'm very appreciative for your gift. I usually post the pieces I get to my Gift Art section, although if you sent one and you don't see it posted, please contact me and remind me! This section is still kinda new and I've lost-track of some images with all of the system reformats I've gone through lately. Thanks so much! =^_^=

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&Mac179;&Mac179; >> October/ 7 / 2003

New Games Section!
I decided to have some fun and create a new games section [ here ]!
This is the first — It's a crossword puzzle that was actually a test for another project I was working on. But the program was so cool, that I just HAD to create one for the fandom! Admittedly, there are a few pretty cheesy questions on there, but it was still fun to do! You'll have to print this out to play, although I'm sure you can do alot of them in your head...
Good luck! =^_^=
I'll upload new puzzles and such every chance I get! =^_^=

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